28:23 Al-Qasas (The Stories)

{ وَلَمَّا وَرَدَ مَاءَ مَدْيَنَ وَجَدَ عَلَيْهِ أُمَّةً مِنَ النَّاسِ يَسْقُونَ } مواشيهم، وكانوا أهل ماشية كثيرة { وَوَجَدَ مِنْ دُونِهِمُ } أي: دون تلك الأمة { امْرَأتَيْنِ تَذُودَانِ } غنمهما عن حياض الناس، لعجزهما عن مزاحمة الرجال وبخلهم، وعدم مروءتهم عن السقي لهما.{ قَالَ } لهما موسى { مَا خَطْبُكُمَا } أي: ما شأنكما بهذه الحالة، { قَالَتَا لَا نَسْقِي حَتَّى يُصْدِرَ الرِّعَاءُ } أي: قد جرت العادة أنه لا يحصل لنا سقي حتى يصدر الرعاء مواشيهم، فإذا خلا لنا الجو سقينا، { وَأَبُونَا شَيْخٌ كَبِيرٌ } أي: لا قوة له على السقي، فليس فينا قوة، نقتدر بها، ولا لنا رجال يزاحمون الرعاء.

"ولما ورد ماء مدين" أي لما وصل إلى مدين وورد ماءها وكان لها بئر يرده رعاء الشاء "وجد عليه أمة من الناس يسقون" أي جماعة يسقون "ووجد من دونهم امرأتين تذودان" أي تكفكفان غنمهما أن ترد مع غنم أولئك الرعاء لئلا يؤذيا فلما رآهما موسى عليه السلام رق لهما ورحمهما "قال ما خطبكما" أي ما خبركما لا تردان مع هؤلاء؟ "قالتا لا نسقي حتى يصدر الرعاء" أي لا يحصل لنا سقي إلا بعد فراغ هؤلاء "وأبونا شيخ كبير" أي فهذا الحال الملجئ لنا إلى ما ترى.

Musa, peace be upon him, in Madyan, and how He watered the Flocks of the Two Women

When the man told Musa about how Fir`awn and his chiefs were conspiring against him, he left Egypt on his own. He was not used to being alone, because before that he had been living a life of luxury and ease, in a position of leadership.

فَخَرَجَ مِنْهَا خَآئِفاً يَتَرَقَّبُ

(So he escaped from there, looking about in a state of fear.) meaning, turning around and watching.

قَالَ رَبِّ نَجِّنِى مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّـلِمِينَ

(My Lord! Save me from the people who are wrongdoers!) means, from Fir`awn and his chiefs. It was mentioned that Allah sent to him an angel riding a horse, who showed him the way. And Allah knows best.

وَلَمَّا تَوَجَّهَ تِلْقَآءَ مَدْيَنَ

(And when he went towards (the land of) Madyan,) means, he took a smooth and easy route -- and he rejoiced because of that.

قَالَ عَسَى رَبِّى أَن يَهْدِيَنِى سَوَآءَ السَّبِيلِ

(he said: "It may be that my Lord guides me to the right way.") meaning, the most straight route. And Allah did indeed do that, for He guided him to the straight path in this world and the Hereafter, and caused him to be guided and to guide others.

وَلَمَّا وَرَدَ مَآءَ مَدْيَنَ

(And when he arrived at the water (a well) of Madyan,) means, when he reached Madyan and went to drink from its water, for it had a well where shepherds used to water their flocks,

وَجَدَ عَلَيْهِ أُمَّةً مِّنَ النَّاسِ يَسْقُونَ وَوَجَدَ مِن دُونِهِمُ امْرَأَتَينِ تَذُودَانِ

(he found there a group of men watering, and besides them he found two women who were keeping back.) means, they were stopping their sheep from drinking with the sheep of those shepherds, lest some harm come to them. When Musa, peace be upon him, saw them, he felt sorry for them and took pity on them.

قَالَ مَا خَطْبُكُمَا

(He said: "What is the matter with you") meaning, `why do you not water your flocks with these people'

قَالَتَا لاَ نَسْقِى حَتَّى يُصْدِرَ الرِّعَآءُ

(They said: "We cannot water until the shepherds take...") meaning, `we cannot water our flocks until they finish.'

وَأَبُونَا شَيْخٌ كَبِيرٌ

(And our father is a very old man.) means, `this is what has driven us to what you see.'

فَسَقَى لَهُمَا

(So he watered (their flocks) for them, )

ثُمَّ تَوَلَّى إِلَى الظِّلِّ فَقَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّى لِمَآ أَنزَلْتَ إِلَىَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيرٌ

(then he turned back to shade, and said: "My Lord! Truly, I am in need of whatever good that You bestow on me!")

إِلَى الظِّلِّ

(to shade,) Ibn `Abbas, Ibn Mas`ud and As-Suddi said: "He sat beneath a tree." `Ata' bin As-Sa'ib said: "When Musa said:

رَبِّ إِنِّى لِمَآ أَنزَلْتَ إِلَىَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيرٌ

("My Lord! Truly, I am in need of whatever good that You bestow on me!") the women heard him."

And when he arrived at the Water of Midian the name of a well therein he found a group of people there watering their flocks and he found besides them two women holding back their flock from the water. He Moses said to the two ‘What is your business?’ that is ‘What is the matter with you that you are not watering?’ They said ‘We do not water our flock until the shepherds have moved on ri‘ā’u ‘shepherds’ the plural of rā‘in that is to say until they have returned from the watering for fear of being crushed by the throng after which we go to water a variant reading for yasdiru ‘move on’ is the 4th form subjunctive yusdira ‘to drive away’ meaning until they the shepherds have driven their flocks away from the water’ and our father is a very old man’ unable to come and water.

(And when he arrived at the waters of Madyan, he found a large number of people watering (their animals) - 28:23) مَاءَ مَدْيَنَ (waters of Madyan) refers to the well from where people of that place used to make their animals drink water. وَوَجَدَ مِن دُونِهِمُ امْرَ‌أَتَيْنِ تَذُودَانِ (found, aloof from them, two women keeping back (their animals) - 23). That is he saw two girls stopping their goats from going to the water, so that they did not get mixed up with other goats.

قَالَ مَا خَطْبُكُمَا ۖ قَالَتَا لَا نَسْقِي حَتَّىٰ يُصْدِرَ‌ الرِّ‌عَاءُ ۖ وَأَبُونَا شَيْخٌ كَبِيرٌ‌ (He said, "What is the matter with you?" They said, "We cannot water (our animals) unless the shepherds bring (their animals) back and our father is very old man." -28:23). The word خَطب Khatb means "matter". The sense is that Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) asked the two girls ` What was it that you are stopping your goats from coming to the well for drinking water like other goats? The two girls answered that, in order to avoid mixing with men-folk, they used to make their goats wait until men had left the place after watering their animals. The question arose here whether they did not have any male member in the family to do this job . The girls answered this question on their own by saying that their father was very old and could not perform this job. This is why they were doing the job.

Some very important points are learnt by this incident. One, that it was the practice of the prophets to help the weak. Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) saw that two girls had brought their goats for drinking water, but they were unable to find room because of the rush of people. Therefore, he asked them about their problem. Two, that there is no harm to talk to stranger women, if no mischief is involved. Three, that although this incident had happened when hijab was not enjoined, a situation that continued even in the early days of Islam (hijab was enjoined in Madinah after the Hijrah), but the underlying spirit of hijab, i.e the natural instinct of modesty and bashfulness, was there even in those days. Because of this natural instinct the two girls preferred hardship rather than getting mixed with men-folk. Four, that it was not considered desirable for women even in those days to go out and perform such type of duties. It was for this reason that they put forward the justification that their father was very old and weak.

When he entered upon the water of Midian. He entered the water of Midian with his outwardness, and he entered the influxes of intimacy with his heart. The influxes of intimacy are the courtyards of tawḤīd. When the servant enters the court- yards of tawḤīd, the lights of contemplation are unveiled for him and he becomes absent from his senses in his soul. Rulership then belongs to God alone, for there is no soul, no sense perception, no heart, no intimacy. This is dissolution in the self-sufficiency and total annihilation. When the servant reaches the courtyards of tawḤīd, he is drowned in the light of contemplation, absent from himself, and present with the Real. Seeking ceases to be in the Found, recognition ceases to be in the Recognized, and seeing ceases to be in the Seen-attachments cut, causes dissolved, traces nullified, limits come to nothing, allusions and expressions negated. When rain arrives at the ocean, it arrives. Stars disappear in daytime. He who arrives at the Patron arrives at himself. The Pir of the Tariqah said, “O Found and Findable! What mark is given of a drunkard but selflessness? Everyone's tribulation is because of distance, but this poor wretch's because of near- ness. Everyone is thirsty from not finding water, but I from being quenched. “O God, all friendship is between two, with no room for a third. In this friendship, all is You, with no room for me. If this work is from my side, I have nothing to do with it. If it is from Your side, all is You. What business have I to meddle and make claims?”